Friday, June 13, 2008

On Monday night, we were watching the news when the forecast for the Silverhawks game came on during the weather. Magi asked me if I wanted to go. I had quite forgotten that it was Dollar Monday again, so instead of cooking dinner, we packed Sera up in the minivan (now dubbed "The Crimson Cruiser") and went.

We arrived later than usual, and I had to park three blocks away and carry Sera, since I had dropped Magi off at the ticket window. We found our seats quickly, but it was crowded. Sera had very little room to move around, and the crowd was fascinating to her. She wanted to see everything. I was also a little leary about sitting on the third base line because of the people who had been drilled with line drives the previous two times I had gone. I'm pretty sure I can protect myself, but I wouldn't stake Sera's life on being able to deflect a ball coming right at her unless I had my glove with me, and I didn't. So when the announcement came over the PA system that we could upgrade our dollar tickets to box seats at a cost of $2 each, I ponied up the $6 and we sat right behind the plate. Sera now had her own chair, an unobstructed view of the action, and a screen to deflect foul balls that came our way. I could finally relax!

From these seats, I observed five people with radar guns sitting in the same section. Not only were they charting the speeds and locations of the pitches, but they were also making notes on position players and their hitting strengths and weaknesses. At one point, I saw a scout pass over a business card with the Kansas City Royals logo on it to another scout. There were other scouts without radar guns making notes of the game as well. Magi leaned over to me and suggested that it would be my dream job. Gee, I don't know, being paid to travel all over the country watching baseball games? That just sounds rough. When I was single, I would have done it for free, but as a parent I know it would be hard on my family, just as it is for the players and coaches of teams in both minor and major leagues.

When I retire, I want to do stuff just like that. I love to write in this blog. I would love to travel, take photographs and write about the places I visit. That's why I'm looking so forward to July. Once summer school ends on June 27, we are taking off. First, we'll be headed to Utah. We're going to pass through Omaha to see the zoo, and spend the night. Then we'll stop in Denver to take in a Rockies game. After that, we'll visit my father, and then my sister in Utah. We haven't even decided on our route back, yet. We might just be spontaneous, and see where the road takes us!

Later in the month, we are going to Mackinac Island for a weekend at the Grand Hotel, which was a gift that Magi's dad gave us two Christmases ago. We didn't even get a spare weekend last year to use it, which is probably just as well. Sera will appreciate it more this year with all the flowers and "horsies" there. We're going to camp in northern Michigan with my buddy Eric for the week leading up to that weekend, too. I'm going to start plotting out that trip soon, because there are certain places where I know some good camping spots and beautiful sights to see. Magi's never even been to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan before, and I used to live there when I was in sixth grade. It is a beautiful place to visit and live.

All I have to do is make it through two more weeks of summer school and then we will be off!

That's exactly what I had in mind, sis. We're going to make a stop in Mesick on the way up, and then drive the rest of the way to Paradise to camp at Tahquamenon Falls for a couple of days. Then we're going to cruise down to Naubinway and take US 2 back to Mackinaw City and camp there for a couple. Then we'll spend two nights on the island and come home.